1881 SAFA season
# 1881 SAFA season

The 1881 South Australian Football Association season was the 5th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The premiership season began on Saturday 7 May.

Norwood went on to record its 4th consecutive premiership.

The years premiership trophy was called the Fowler Challenge Cup.

Kensington and Adelaide merged to create a full squad but resigned from the competition after 4 games.

## Premiership season

### Round 1

| | Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 1 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 7 May (3:12 pm) | Victorian 0.7 (0) | drew with | South Adelaide 0.5 (0) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 7 May (3:30 pm) | South Park 0.3 (0) | def. by | Norwood 2.7 (2) | South Park Lands (crowd: 550) |
| Saturday, 7 May (3:25 pm) | Port Adelaide 3.15 (3) | def. | Adelaide-Kensington 1.2 (1) | Alberton Oval (crowd: 200) |

### Round 2

| | Round 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 14 May (3:20 pm) | Victorian 3.21 (3) | def. | Adelaide-Kensington 0.0 (0) | Montefiore Hill |
| Saturday, 14 May (2:45 pm) | Norwood 4.6 (4) | def. | Port Adelaide 1.3 (1) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,500) |
| Saturday, 14 May (3:00 pm) | South Park 0.6 (6) | def. by | South Adelaide 1.7 (1) | South Park Lands |

### Round 3

| | Round 3 | Round 3 | Round 3 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 21 May (3:15 pm) | Norwood 2.5 (2) | drew with | Victorian 2.3 (2) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,500) |
| Saturday, 21 May (3:15 pm) | Port Adelaide 3.18 (3) | def. | South Park 1.2 (1) | Alberton Oval |
| Saturday, 21 May | Adelaide-Kensington 0.4 (0) | def. by | South Adelaide 4.8 (4) | Kensington Oval |

### Round 4

| | Round 4 | Round 4 | Round 4 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 28 May (3:30 pm) | Victorian 0.1 (0) | drew with | Port Adelaide 0.2 (0) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 28 May (3:30 pm) | South Adelaide 3.5 (3) | drew with | Norwood 3.11 (3) | South Park Lands |
| Saturday, 28 May | Adelaide-Kensington 0.1 (0) | def. by | South Park 7.14 (7) | Adelaide Bridge Ground |
| Adelaide-Kensington's game against South Park would be its last for the season resigning from the competition on the Wednesday 1 June. ||||||

### Round 5

| | Round 5 | Round 5 | Round 5 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 4 June (3:15 pm) | Victorian 0.4 (0) | def. by | South Park 2.6 (2) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 4 June (3:30 pm) | Port Adelaide 0.6 (0) | drew with | South Adelaide 0.8 (0) | Alberton Oval |
| Norwood were scheduled to play Adelaide-Kensington, but Adelaide-Kensington resigned from the competition on 1 June; Norwood were awarded the match on forfeit, and played against a 25 team from Royal Park instead. ||||||

### Round 6

| | Round 6 | Round 6 | Round 6 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 25 June | South Park 1.5 (1) | def. by | Norwood 4.6 (4) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 25 June | Victorian 1.9 (1) | def. | South Adelaide 0.0 (0) | Montefiore Hill |

### Round 7

| | Round 7 | Round 7 | Round 7 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 2 July | South Adelaide 2.4 (2) | def. by | South Park 4.6 (4) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 2 July | Port Adelaide 1.11 (1) | drew with | Norwood 1.16 (1) | Alberton Oval |

### Round 8

| | Round 8 | Round 8 | Round 8 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 9 July (3:15 pm) | Victorian 0.2 (0) | def. by | Norwood 4.8 (4) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 1,000) |
| Saturday, 9 July (3:00 pm) | South Park 3.9 (3) | def. | Port Adelaide 1.5 (1) | South Park Lands |

### Round 9

| | Round 9 | Round 9 | Round 9 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 16 July | Norwood 6.17 (6) | def. | South Adelaide 0.1 (0) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 16 July (3:25 pm) | Port Adelaide 0.11 (0) | def. by | Victorian 1.4 (1) | Alberton Oval |

### Round 10

| | Round 10 | Round 10 | Round 10 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 23 July (3:20 pm) | South Adelaide 5.19 (5) | def. | Port Adelaide 0.7 (0) | Adelaide Oval (crowd: 500) |
| Saturday, 23 July | South Park 3.10 (3) | def. | Victorian 0.6 (0) | South Park Lands |

### Round 11

| | Round 11 | Round 11 | Round 11 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 30 July (3:20 pm) | Norwood 3.6 (3) | def. | South Park 0.10 (0) | Adelaide Oval |
| Saturday, 30 July (3:30 pm) | South Adelaide 2.8 (2) | def. | Victorian 0.6 (0) | South Park Lands |

### Round 12

| | Round 12 | Round 12 | Round 12 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 6 August | South Park 1.4 | drew with | South Adelaide 1.4 | South Park Lands |

### Round 13

| | Round 13 | Round 13 | Round 13 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 3 September | Port Adelaide 0 | drew with | South Park 0 | Alberton Oval |
| The newspaper reporter at the game was critical of the ground condition at Alberton Oval noting that areas had grass up to one foot high. ||||||

### Round 14

| | Round 14 | Round 14 | Round 14 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 10 September | South Adelaide 0.6 (0) | def. by | Norwood 3.10 (3) | South Park Lands |
| Saturday, 10 September | Victorian 0 | v | Port Adelaide 0 | Montefiore Hill |
| The Victorian v Port Adelaide match was abandoned due to a crowd invasion and declared a draw. A disputed goal (due to the goal umpire not at his post) 20 minutes before time caused both teams to withdraw from the ground. ||||||

### Round 15

| | Round 15 | Round 15 | Round 15 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 17 September (3:30 pm) | Victorian 0.5 (0) | drew with | South Park 0.10 (0) | Montefiore Hill |
| Saturday, 17 September | Port Adelaide 1 | drew with | South Adelaide 1.4 (1) | Alberton Oval |

### Round 16

| | Round 16 | Round 16 | Round 16 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 24 September (3:00 pm) | Norwood 6.14 (6) | v | Port Adelaide 0.0 (0) | East Park Lands |

### Round 17

| | Round 17 | Round 17 | Round 17 | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 1 October | Victorian 1.2 (1) | def. by | Norwood 2.9 (2) | Montefiore Hill (crowd: 500) |

## Ladder

1881 SAFA Ladder :

| | TEAM | P | W | L | D | GF | GA |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Norwood | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 9 |
| 2 | South Adelaide | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 18 |
| 3 | South Park | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 17 |
| 4 | Victorian | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 15 |
| 5 | Port Adelaide | 13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 23 |
| 6 | Adelaide / Kensington | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers | Key: P = Played, W = Won, L = Lost, D = Drawn, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, (P) = Premiers | |

Note:

* South Adelaide played South Park three times for a 1-1-1 record; South Adelaide were ranked above South Park on a superior head-to-head record against Norwood (0-2-1 to 0-3).
* Adelaide/Kensington withdrew from the competition after Round 4; all published ladders record their Round 5 match against Norwood as a win for Norwood on forfeit.

## Intercolonial matches

| | 1881 Intercolonial Matches | 1881 Intercolonial Matches | 1881 Intercolonial Matches | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 20 August | Victoria 8.24 | def. | South Australia 1.8 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Wednesday, 24 August | Victoria 4.14 | def. | South Australia 1.5 | East Melbourne Cricket Ground (crowd: 1,000) |

## Additional matches

| | South Park vs. South Adelaide rematch | South Park vs. South Adelaide rematch | South Park vs. South Adelaide rematch | |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Saturday, 24 September | South Park 0.10 (0) | drew with | South Adelaide 0.8 (0) | South Park Lands |
